Slightly Chipped, Footnotes in Booklore by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone (pp 213). In the truest sense of the words, this book was a reader’s delight. Published in 1999, it was a followup to Used and Rare, another fine (enjoyable) book about book collecting. Despite not being a collector, or at least not a serious collector—the only portion of my library that constitutes a collection is an approximately 1,000volume assemblage of books about boating, only a few of which were purchased in the $100 to $350 range—hearing the Goldstone’s stories about used and rare book collecting was often fun and always engaging. They wrote (both books) with such ease that flipping through the pages was akin to sitting across from them in a living room, coffee cup in hand, listening to their book-related adventures. Their second volume was relatable, in part, because they collected reasonably priced books: not thousand dollar gems. Their subject matter focus was literature/fiction, so they mentioned numerous titles and authors about which I know nothing, but there were enough familiar names to hold my interest. If you collect books—or more simply, know how to read—you might want to pick this one up. It provides inspiration for visits to local booksellers, an endangered species, and an impetus for buying (if such a thing is ever needed). ( )

The Goldstones, apparently on their way to a trilogy, successfully followed their first book with this one. It’s another delight. Becoming more accomplished as rare book aficionados, they are able to provide even more enlightening and amusing anecdotes of the book trade. They are informative as well about many of the authors whose books are collected. I had never heard of "Bloomsbury" members, being literature-challenged, but it seems the august members of that strange coterie are very collectible, not just because many were good writers, but also because they were prolific and lived lives (there are more than twenty-five 900- page biographies of the members) that would be unbelievable on most soap operas.

The group consisted of Lytton Strachey, Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Clive Bell, Roger Fry, Duncan Grant, and John Maynard Keynes, although there is some dispute about others. The group had a unique ethos "which can be summed up by the sort of incisive comment the group and Lytton Strachey in particular were known for. Upon arriving at Clive and Vanessa Bell's apartment one evening, Lytton noticed a stain on Vanessa's dress, 'Semen?' he inquired." Another interesting story of the Bloomsbury folks is that Virginia Woolf and her husband, Leonard had often spoken of starting their own press. One day, while walking by a small printing supply company, they saw a hand press for sale in the window. They bought it, took it home, and taught themselves how to set type.

Thus began Hogarth Press. It reflected their ineptitude visually. Virginia routinely confused the h’s with the n’s. They had trouble with the ink, and the woodcuts they used for illustrations never inked up just right. These volumes are, of course, quite valuable today, especially because their print runs were so small (the first was 134 copies, which sold out, making them a small profit). One of the delights of the Goldstones’ books is learning about many authors of years ago with whom I was completely unfamiliar, for example, William Mcfee (nautical stuff) and Josephine Tey (British mystery writer who died in 1952).

No stranger to book signings, having traveled along to many of Sheila’s, not to mention many at ALA and ABA, I got a huge kick out of an anecdote they relate that happened to a friend of theirs. This author was sitting at the table in the bookstore with lots of his books but hadn’t been aproached by anyone for over an hour when a woman and child came over. “Are your the author of these books?” she asked. He assured her he was. “You wrote them,” she inquired again, “and you’ll be here for a while.” He answered again in the affirmative. She then asked if he would watch her child while she went shopping. The Goldstones don’t relate his response.

( )

More of the kinds of experiences that the Goldstones shared in [b:Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World|195631|Used and Rare Travels in the Book World|Lawrence Goldstone|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172594812s/195631.jpg|1831511]. I particularly enjoyed their search for the earliest notes for Bram Stoker's [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255650730s/17245.jpg|3165724]. ( )

More of the kinds of experiences that the Goldstones shared in [b:Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World|195631|Used and Rare Travels in the Book World|Lawrence Goldstone|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172594812s/195631.jpg|1831511]. I particularly enjoyed their search for the earliest notes for Bram Stoker's [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255650730s/17245.jpg|3165724]. ( )

A different book from the earlier Used and Rare. While the first book chronicled the authors' gradual immersion into the world of book collecting, this second volume focuses more on the book trade itself rather than their own relationship with the books. That does make this second book a bit less engaging, but nonetheless informational. It moves from book-related events, such as the auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, to themes like the Bloomsbury group, the history of which is recounted in succinct and engaging detail. An especially intriguing chapter discusses the creation of the Bibliofind used book website (which has since been absorbed by Amazon), and the authors' skeptical doubts about the future of book collecting via the internet. My, how the world has changed! ( )